English

Global structure of Choptuik's critical solution in scalar field collapse

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology 2009-11-10 v1

Abstract

At the threshold of black hole formation in the gravitational collapse of a scalar field a naked singularity is formed through a universal critical solution that is discretely self-similar. We study the global spacetime structure of this solution. It is spherically symmetric, discretely self-similar, regular at the center to the past of the singularity, and regular at the past lightcone of the singularity. At the future lightcone of the singularity, which is also a Cauchy horizon, the curvature is finite and continuous but not differentiable. To the future of the Cauchy horizon the solution is not unique, but depends on a free function (the null data coming out of the naked singularity). There is a unique continuation with a regular center (which is self-similar). All other self-similar continuations have a central timelike singularity with negative mass.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.gr-qc/0304070,
  title  = {Global structure of Choptuik's critical solution in scalar field collapse},
  author = {Jose M. Martin-Garcia and Carsten Gundlach},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:gr-qc/0304070},
  year   = {2009}
}

Comments

28 pages, 25 figures. Version with non-bitmapped figures can be found at http://www.maths.soton.ac.uk/staff/Martin-Garcia/critcont